Experience has shown us time and again that, of all the elements contributing to effective investigations, investigators consistently dedicate insufficient time and effort in a few critical areas; four to be exact.

We reported earlier this year about the perils of bad governance in the case of the Toronto Humane Society. The non-profit organization faced a raid and subsequent investigation after complaints of serious mistreatment of animals, overcrowding, rampant illness and disease, disgusting workplace conditions and generally poor management. The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals removed animals from the premises, confiscated documents, arrested the president and senior management and charged them with animal cruelty and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, and discharged the board of directors and charged them with “non-criminal” animal cruelty.